The Friends with Benefits Experiment
by QxSess15
Summary: "The true method of knowledge is experiment."- William Blake… Sheldon and Penny learn that some experiments can lead to the knowledge of self as well as the true meaning of love. Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory is Chuck Lorre's brain child.
1. Chapter 1

**The Friends with Benefits Experiment**

 _ **by QxSess15**_

* * *

 _The true method of knowledge is experiment._

 _-William Blake_

* * *

 **Part One- Spring Affair**

* * *

Chapter One: Have I Lived?

* * *

Music blared from her ear buds. The song was upbeat and inspirational. It asserted that when you find your courage and face your fears, you've lived.

To Penny the sentiment was depressing.

It was, at least, when she applied it to her current circumstances. Still living paycheck to paycheck. Still being rejected from every audition. Still unable to find true love. She would move back home if it weren't for the possibility of being taunted holding her back.

Penny trudged the last steps to her landing and stopped short at the sight before her: Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper pacing the distance between their doors as his fingers made his normally perfect hair stick up in several directions.

"Hey, Sheldon. What's going on?" she asked as she breezed by. He answered irritably with his normally absent Texan accent tinting his words.

"What's going on? What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on. My roommate conveniently leaves the country when I need him the most. _That's_ what's goin' on."

"Sheldon, calm down. Leonard didn't suddenly decide to leave the country he's been on that yearlong study thing for like two months."

"Yes, Penny. I am fully aware that _deserter_ won't come back from Germany for the better part of ten months. There is no reason for you to rub that in my face." Penny took a deep breath and tried again.

"Is there anything that _I_ can help you with, Moonpie?" she asked a little too sweetly.

"No, I'm fine," he replied. Penny stifled a sigh of relief before turning to unlock her door. "Well, now that you mention it…"

 _So close_ , she thought.

"I was having lunch with Lalita today and she made the most disturbing announcement. She's moving back to India to get married."

"I thought Lalita was your friend. Aren't you happy for her?"

"She asked if we could be 'friends with benefits' for the time that she has left in the country."

Penny slumped against her door and pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off a stress headache. "Ok, I would love to help but I still don't see the issue here. She asked to be sex buddies, you said no. Why are you still freaking out about this?" Her question was met with silence. When she looked up, Sheldon was staring blankly at her while a dark flush crept up his neck and stained his cheeks.

"Sheldon, you did say no, right?" He quickly shifted his gaze to his feet and fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket.

" _Sheldon_?"

"Oh, alright! I asked if I could think about it. Happy?" he snapped while ruffling his hair for the umpteenth time.

Penny started at him in shock.

 _I'm going to need a large drink._

SHE DREW THE FRAGRANT WINE TO HER LIPS and watched as he perched precariously at the edge of her couch, silent. One very large gulp later she decided to get some answers. "I'm curious," she started. "Why didn't you immediately say no?"

"I just couldn't." Sheldon sighed and took a tentative sip of his hot beverage. "She was giving me that look—the one that Princess Panchali gave to the Monkey when he first refused to help her free the other monkeys. So I asked if she would give me a few days to think about it."

Penny blinked.

 _Princess Panchali? Dear God, he's attracted to a fictional character… Whack-a-doodle!_

"That's it? You didn't say no immediately because of a look that reminded you of a character from a children's story? You know that's crazy, right?"

"Penny, I'm not crazy. Though, now I wonder why my mother didn't get that second opinion at my father's request." He took another tentative sip of his cocoa looking like a lost little boy.

She kept quiet for a moment.

 _My poor dumbass._

"Wait. Sheldon was that a joke?" she asked smiling. He smiled back serenely.

"I think you should go for it." He gave her an incredulous stare. She hid her smile in her sip of wine as his expression morphed from incredulous to bemused. "I think it would be a good experience for you. You would definitely learn a lot about yourself."

"Learn a lot about myself?" he parroted derisively. "Penny, I have two PhDs and full knowledge of how the universe works. I don't need to engage in coitus to-"

"Sheldon, you're not a whole person. You yourself have said that you have trouble understanding human relationships. There are a lot of people who have benefited from this type of arrangement. Don't knock it until you try it." Sheldon stared at her for a minute processing her opinion.

"What do you mean I'm not a whole person?"

"You're practically the smartest person on the planet. You know all sorts of interesting facts on every subject and yet it feels like false advertising when you can't grasp and master human relationships. I think that your narcissism gets in the way of you being able to participate in and learn from human experiences. When you learn to read how others behave you also start learning more about yourself. Besides, what's the use of being a genius with photographic memory when you're not willing to experiment and then use the results to your advantage?"

" _Eidetic_ memory and point."

"Sheldon, whatever you decide, I'll back you up and guide you either way."

SHE PULLED OFF HER UNIFORM SLOWLY allowing her thoughts free reign over her concentration. She couldn't believe that Sheldon was actually asked to be a sex buddy by another human being. But then, she supposed, that stranger things have happened.

Penny shook her head at her snarky thought. That really wasn't very fair of her. She idly wondered if Sheldon would really take Lalita up on her offer. Hell, if she were in Sheldon's shoes, she'd jump at the chance to have an arrangement where emotions weren't an issue. Penny knew that she wasn't wired that way. The few arrangements she participated in ended with her broken heart.

 _The heart wants what the heart wants._

She unfastened her bra and sighed in relief before she let it slide from her body and on to the floor. Penny was of the opinion that friends with benefits was a recipe for disaster. Women, after all, are emotional creatures. It's virtually impossible for them not to catch feelings while in the presence of the object of their affections.

Penny sighed and shook her head as she moved to the bathroom. She twisted the taps to get a shower going. She slid her cotton briefs down her legs and quickly removed her make-up before stepping in the shower.

Penny once made friends with a girl in college named Aylissa who had a no-strings-attached affair with a guy on her street. Aylissa confided that her high sex drive tended to distract her if she didn't keep it at bay. In high school she was always chasing after some boy and failing some of her classes as a result. The interesting thing about Aylissa was that she was a very smart girl. Amazing things happened when she focused on her school work. Aylissa credited finishing high school with the help of an older cousin. Said cousin gave her some pointers on how to use boys to tide over her sexual appetites so she could focus on her education. Years later, Aylissa got her Masters in Communications and delivered an inspirational speech as her class Valedictorian. She moved to Texas where she got a high-paying position at some oil company. Penny heard that after a year she met the man of her dreams and married him several months after meeting him. Aylissa got her 'happily ever after' through using casual arrangements to her advantage.

Penny reached for her shampoo and worked the sweat and restaurant smells from her hair. She had no doubt that Sheldon could easily explore his sexuality without emotion. He's a man who isn't really distracted by pesky things like feelings and romance. Only women are burdened with that problem. A woman's entire world focuses on relationships from the time she can play with dolls. For generations that has always been the innate desire—the be-all end-all goal—for real women to make a home for a family. This is why men tend to be more successful than women in the business and financial arena. It's also the same reason why men are more adept than women in successfully engaging in casual relationships. All men have to do is focus on physical pleasure for twenty minutes to an hour and then they go back to focusing on conquering their other interests.

She closed the taps, dried off and untangled her hair. It really wasn't fair. Penny admitted to herself that she was a bit envious of her friend Aylissa and her wonderful life. One thing was clear to her. She really did have to figure out a way out of her current miserable existence of living hand to mouth and not doing the things she loved.

SHELDON CONTINUED TO PACE HIS APPARTMENT while sipping his second cup of chamomile tea. He'd hoped it would relax him enough to allow for some rational thinking. No such luck.

The only coherent thoughts that his mind was able to conjure was that of Penny's earlier statements.

' _You know all sorts of interesting facts on every subject and yet it feels like false advertising when you can't grasp and master human relationships.'_

False advertising indeed.

Yes, it was true that there are _some_ aspects of the human experience that elude his understanding but that, by no means, meant that he was misrepresenting his character. Could it?

… And what of that other nonsense?

' _I think that your narcissism gets in the way of you being able to participate in and learn from human experiences.'_

Is it really narcissism when one is confident in the breadth and depth of one's ability to puzzle out the vast mysteries of the universe?

Sheldon paused mid stride to ponder that possibility. If he really wanted to be honest with himself, he would admit that he really wasn't sure. At least, within the context of this new development he wasn't.

He turned on his heel and moved in the opposite direction toward his spot.

For the sake of argument, Sheldon would cede to the notion that (loath as he was to think it) Penny's assessment was correct. What if he was a narcissist? How would narcissistic behaviors short change him from gaining knowledge in everything? As far as he was concerned pursuing theoretical physics was a challenging and rewarding subject matter. He explored the possibilities of both loop quantum theory and string theory. String theory simply made more sense. It really wasn't a difficult conclusion to draw and narcissism never even interfered in his academic pursuits and experiences.

But what of the rites of passages that he never experienced because of his highly developed intellect? Did his alleged narcissistic tendencies cheat him from growing and developing emotionally as he grew into manhood? Has narcissism kept him from understanding others thereby robbing him of the chance to really know everything?

He certainly didn't believe so.

Sheldon wasn't sure engaging in this sort of arrangement was something he could do. He got up and put his empty cup in the sink. Maybe his problem was that he didn't have enough information. He hurried over to his laptop and did the one thing he was extremely good at: research.

After several hours of appealing to the Google gods for wisdom and one very surprising Skype conversation with the venerable Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Dr Sheldon Lee Cooper BS, MS, MA, PhD, and ScD, made a decision. He picked up his phone and quickly dialed Lalita.

"Hello, Dr. Gupta? Dr. Sheldon Cooper here. About your proposal…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Changing Tides**

* * *

Yesterdays—or rather, the concept of 'yesterdays'—in general, have never been of much interest to Sheldon. He had always allowed his intellect to forge ahead on his path without really noting the ripples and eddies left in his wake. But today, of all days, figuring out how to get back to yesterday jumped to the top of his 'To-do' list.

Sheldon pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and alerted Lalita to his arrival with a text message. He stared at the white door with the gleaming brass '42'as he waited for the text with the next set of instructions.

 _How did I get myself into this situation?_

He knew how. It was that neighbor girl's fault. She chose a most inopportune moment to start making wise observations out loud. After his conversation with Penny and his subsequent research binge, he called Lalita to gain a better understanding of her expectations for this … arrangement. It was all very simple and straight forward.

"Sheldon," she said, "I want to be clear. I am not romantically attached to you nor am I looking to make any such connection. I only want to experiment to find what pleases me. Not to mention that I would not like to marry with the one unsatisfying experience in my repertoire. I feel that I should have something better than that one bad memory."

"Unsatisfying experience? What do you mean?" Lalita's statement confused Sheldon because as far as he knew coitus was supposed to be pleasant and satisfying between two consenting adults.

"I've had one sexual encounter. It was before I had the surgery. I was panicking that I might die on the operating table. If you recall, in the early days of gastric bypass, doctors would cut you open and staple your stomach shut. Now it's almost always done as a laparoscopic surgery or keyhole surgery with an adjustable band." Sheldon adjusted the phone against his ear to make sure he heard her clearly. Lalita took a breath and continued her story.

"Back then the risks of dying during surgery were somewhat higher than they are today. But at that point, my life depended on it and I was desperate for change. I figured that in case I died, I didn't want to go as a virgin. So I asked my childhood crush to help with my situation. He agreed to help and asked that I meet him at his parents' stables the following night.'' She let out a humorless chuckle before finishing her story.

"There was no romance. Just the initial pain, the discomfort of my flesh getting in the way and the embarrassment of discovering there was a horse pellet smeared at the small of my back when we were done. It was memorable in all the wrong ways. This is why you agreeing to this arrangement is so important to me. I want fun and wonderful memories of being single and sexy. I can't see myself being married to the one person for the rest of my life without a little of that reckless freedom that American women get to experience."

Sheldon didn't know what to say to something like that. Before she finished her story there was one awful moment where he worried that her lackluster experience may not have been consensual. Other than that, he was quite a bit out of his depth no matter how marginally helpful this tidbit was. She may have sensed his confusion because her tone changed from something that might have been bitter and sad to warm and consoling.

"Sheldon," she continued. "I understand that you have absolutely no point of reference to empathize with me which is why I think that, if you are amenable, perhaps we could engage in intercourse once. I believe that you would have an easier time of making a decision if you have more information. How does that sound?"

"I suppose that sounds reasonable." There was silence on the line for a beat before he continued. "How does next week sound?"

Sheldon's thoughts drifted back to the present. He was still standing in front of Lalita's white door waiting for her text. A minute later his phone vibrated and he opened the message.

' _Let yourself in with the key under the welcome mat. Lock the door behind you when you enter—use the deadbolt. Leave the key in the basket by the door. Enter the bathroom and follow the instructions taped to the mirror.'_

Glad to finally have a task to focus on, Sheldon followed the instructions in the text message to the letter. True to her word, there was an envelope taped to the mirror with ' _Sheldon'_ scrawled on the front.

He opened the envelope and pulled out a thick, dark purple card with a golden embossed lotus blossom on the front. He flipped it over and read the note written in gold ink.

 _Sheldon,_

 _I want to take a moment and thank you for sharing yourself_

 _with me. I want this to be a wonderfully memorable experience_

 _for you, so I ask that you open your mind and let yourself go. I will_

 _be there to catch you..._

 _For the sake of my carefully laid plans, please remove ALL of your_

 _clothes and put on the dhoti that is hanging from the bathroom_

 _door. I have provided extra hangers for your clothes._

 _One last thing, please shut off ALL of the electronics you have_

 _brought with you and leave them on the hall table. You'll not_

 _need those after you enter the living room._

— _Lalita_

Again, Sheldon followed her instructions closely. He did have a bit of a problem getting the dhoti to stay on the way it should. It took him two tries after pulling up a YouTube video on his phone to get it right.

Finally ready, he stepped out of the bathroom and deposited his electronics and his messenger bag on the hall table. As he moved down the cool hall, goose bumps broke out on his skin. He noted that his heart rate increased and a knot of anticipation formed in his gut. He found the latter quite surprising. When he reached the glass paneled door at the end of the hall, he noted it was covered by a thick heavy curtain which effectively blocked his view of Lalita's living room. The knot in his stomach tightened as he twisted the handle. He pushed open the door and the scene before him ensnared his senses.

The air was comfortingly warm and slightly humid. The room smelled of burning woodsy incense and the pleasant fragrance of flowers mixed with ginger and citrus. Sounds of relaxing classical Indian music and faraway crashing waves soothed his frazzled nerves. Sheldon's keen eyes took in all the changes made to the living room. Gone was the tasteful modern décor. In its place were push, vibrant rugs and most of the room was draped in warm colored silks of red and orange. On the far wall there was a large mattress wrapped in royal blue silk topped with white and silver pillows of various shapes and sizes and textures.

Perched on top of the pillows was a woman.

She wore a silk sari in diaphanous purple and gold. Her gentle breaths shifted the light enough so that her dark nipples were almost visible. The soft candle light made her skin glow a burnished bronze as she sat in the lotus position completely at her ease. Sheldon looked on mesmerized at the way her long ebony waves reflected the flickering flames and how they contrasted sharply against the small white blossoms woven with her hair.

She wore no jewelry except for the blue gem of her bindi. A soft, serene smile graced her ruby-stained lips as she slowly opened her eyes to look at Sheldon. Her smile widened into something sweet before addressing her companion in a low, lilting voice.

"Good evening, Sheldon. I've been waiting for you. Please, come closer." She waved her hand gracefully, inviting him to sit. Once he was comfortably reclined beside her she could clearly see the confusion in his eyes. "For your first time, I thought that it would be memorable if you connected with a former crush. For this evening only, you may call me Princess Panchali."

Sheldon was speechless at this development. He couldn't think of a single thing to say so he just meekly nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now that we have that out of the way, your princess commands that you kiss her mouth." Sheldon's eyes widened in surprise. He'd never before initiated a kiss.

Sheldon moved to his knees and moved in slowly to brush his lips against hers. They were soft and her skin smelled of spices and myrrh. The mix was…

 _Fascinating._

He leaned in again. Her mouth was smooth and pillowy against his. He didn't even detach when the 'princess' moved up on her knees to fully face him. Sheldon's fingers took the opportunity to cup her face and let her dark, satiny locks slide against his fingers. He pulled her closer until he could feel the heat of her body. Her warmth seeped through his cool skin and he sighed as it gently swept the rest of his nervousness away. All that was left was a small knot of anticipation and a growing desire.

Sheldon tentatively delved into the heat and sweetness of her mouth with lips and tongue as his fingers carded through her dark hair and explored the expanse of her bare back. Lalita placed her hands lightly on his shoulders and she pressed herself against him close enough to feel his erection. The contact made him gasp and pull away slightly.

He needed to gain his bearings otherwise this would end much too soon. Lalita settled back on her heels and, as if reading his thoughts, the 'princess' issued a new command.

"I enjoyed that very much, Sheldon. Now you're going to kiss me everywhere starting from my neck all the way down to my navel." She looked him brazenly in the eye as she allowed the drape of purple and gold silk to slide off her shoulder and bared her chest to him. She watched in amusement as his eyes widened and his skin took on a pinkish hue.

PENNY COULD NOT BELIEVE HER LUCK. She finally tracked down her friend Aylissa after a few days of some serious cyber stalking. She friended numerous people on Facebook and Twitter hoping to find someone from back home who was still in contact with her. When she finally found her, Aylissa was so pleased to hear from Penny that she immediately asked for her number and called her within a few minutes. The talked for hours catching up until Penny got up the courage for the reason she started to search for her in the first place. When the call ended Penny was glad she was back in touch with her friend. Aylissa gave her a lot to consider.

There were three knocks and a 'Penny' that interrupted her thoughts. She got up and waited by the door for the familiar sequence to finish. When it didn't, alarm shot through her and she quickly opened the door.

Sheldon just stood there with an awed smile on his face.

PENNY SAT ATOP A HORSE MUSING on all the odd little changes her life tended to have since certain geniuses had entered her life. Not that odd was a bad thing. Odd was what got her to read a few more books and find learning a bit more interesting than she used to. Odd got her to reevaluate what true friendships are supposed to look like. Her previous circle of friends had been replaced with kinder, less 'back-stabby' types. In the last few years, her new found general openness with embracing new experiences had been empowering in several ways to say the least.

For example, if Penny hadn't met Sheldon and Leonard the day she moved into her apartment, she wouldn't have been exposed to all kinds of in-depth discussions of various superheroes and their paraphernalia. She also wouldn't have eventually found a growing fascination with said superheroes and a curiosity to learn more of their adventures, trials and failures. Without that curiosity, she would have never wandered into Stuart's comic book store to see if there were some female heroes that she could get into. Of course, to be fair, Penny winding up in Stuart's store had more to do with distracting herself from some of the more intimate details of Sheldon's first, albeit fantastical, foray into sex. As happy as she was for Sheldon, hearing all the gory details of his first time left her feeling pretty uncomfortable.

Her discomfort landed her in front of the checkout counter with various copies of heroines she'd never heard of dangling off her shoulder in a cloth bag as she found herself enjoying a conversation with Stuart about horseback riding. She was so engrossed in their conversation that she barely noticed when she stepped behind the counter and sat on one of the stools as she regaled him with tales of glory from her Junior Rodeo days. She also barely noticed the patrons paying for their items as she told that one funny story when she called the cops her brother, JP, who thought it would be romantic if he stole her prize horse and a suit of armor from the local theater company to impress a girl. Before she knew it, three hours had passed and Stuart was slowly locking up his store for the evening as he told her that he volunteers one weekend a month on his friend's horse ranch and that she was welcome to join him that coming Saturday if she wanted. She found herself agreeing to the outing by saying 'it's a date' and then walking home happily.

Penny looked over at Stuart only partially listening as he talked about some of the art directors from his favorite movies and she decided that odd was what made someone like Stuart interesting to get to know. Especially right then with him looking so at home and relaxed on top of a horse wearing an old Red Sox cap and a smile as he spoke animatedly of his interests. Penny studied him as he talked and came to the conclusion that this confidence he was displaying somehow made him kinda sexy.

They continued their conversation fluidly as they walked their horses back to the stables.

After the horses were put away they walked out of the stables and stood on the dirt path enjoying the sunshine and a view of the rolling green hills of the ranch proper. A pleasant breeze blew and the sight of blades of the bright green grass bending to its will imbued the moment between new friends with peace. Penny was still lost in her thoughts of how to help Sheldon as well as finding a way to keep her own libido and romantic nature from sabotaging her acting career when Stuart brought her back to the present.

"You look really good on top of a horse," he stated bluntly. Penny turned to smile at him. Stuart smiled back which made his dark eyes sparkle in a way that made her insides clench. She had no idea that he could be handsome enough to make her body react the way it did.

"You really think so?" she asked as she moved close enough to touch him.

"No. I think the horse looked better because you were on it. I was actually jealous of a horse for a minute there," he said after a laugh.

"You're so crazy," she said as she gently nudged him with her elbow.

"Just a little bit. All joking a side, though, you really did look great on that horse. You really know how to handle yourself."

"Aww. Thanks, Stuart. You looked pretty good yourself. I had no idea you handle yourself well in the saddle." Penny couldn't believe she was actually flirting with him. "Although…" she trailed. In the few seconds of silence that followed, Stuart's mind went into overdrive trying to figure out what just he'd done wrong and if it made him look stupid.

"Although, what?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"I'd just like to see how you'd handle yourself as the horse," Penny finished with a teasing smile. Stuart's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What…" he started. But before he could finish his question, Penny stepped behind him and jumped up on his back and wrapped her legs around his waist. Stuart let out a full belly laugh when he caught Penny's meaning. Penny 'rode' him a few seconds and they both fell to the ground when Stuart could no longer support her weight and they tumbled down a small grassy slope still laughing.

Stuart, still smiling, started to look around for his Sox cap which he lost when they fell. When he found it—a bit out of his reach—he lay back on the grass in to get it, then placed it on his head backwards. Penny enjoyed the way his long, thin frame stretched easily.

"I hope you had a good time today," he remarked as he used his right elbow to support his prone torso.

"Yeah, I did. I'd forgotten how much I love riding. I used to ride every chance I got back in Nebraska." She bit the corner of her lip and after a moment added, "Thanks for a great afternoon."

"I had a lot of fun too," he returned with a smile that lit his eyes again. A heavy silence descended on the moment and somehow it wasn't unpleasant or awkward. Penny got a strong urge to see what it was like to kiss Stuart. He might have read her thoughts because he caught her off guard when leaned down and pressed his thin lips to her full ones.

The kiss didn't even last a full second before he pulled away. He felt a panic worm its way into his gut at the sight of her surprised expression and immediately offered some apologies.

"Penny, I'm sorry. I thought I read the situation right. I-"

"No, no, no. It's fine-"

"I didn't mean to-"

"I just wasn't ready but-"

"-make this weird-"

"-I was thinking about it too." At this, Stuart stopped talking over her long enough to take a breath and ask his next question.

"You were?"

"Yeah."

"As in, you _wanted_ to kiss me?" asked Stuart. He still didn't quite believe her.

"Yeah," she said after a giggle. He tipped his head back to let it sink in.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'," she teased. Stuart gave her a smile. "I really think you ought to try that again, ya know, now that I'm ready." He smiled even wider.

"Ok." Stewart leaned forward again. Only this time, he lightly slid his fingers just under her pony tail and he gently guided her forward to meet him half way.

He let his lips linger lightly over hers for a few moments before softly pressing into them. Tiny licks of spice bubbled low in her abdomen which made Penny part her lips as an invitation. Stuart allowed his tongue to test the pliant seam of her lips and she accepted him. They stayed that way for several minutes—half laying in the grass—inviting, testing, learning …stoking.

THE WHOLE RIDE BACK TO PASADENA was an eerily quiet affair. At least, could be considered as eerily quiet compared to the constant banter from earlier that afternoon.

On the one hand, both passengers were exhausted and sore from a day frolicking in the sun with ponies. On the other, things were a little weird. Aside from the two dates they'd already been on, Stuart and Penny were mostly friends. When one friend kisses another and discovers an unexpected attraction, naturally, clearly lined dynamics tend to get a little blurry. Their only saving grace was that it was a short hour drive back from the ranch as radio personalities and music filled the silence.

Eventually, Stuart walked Penny up to her apartment door and dropped a soft lingering kiss on her mouth. Penny instantly regretted letting him kiss her again. It wasn't that she didn't like it, or Stuart for that matter. It was that, for several reasons, she couldn't see having a real relationship with him. Yes, they did get along, had similar interests and a small attraction toward each other, but something felt…off. Penny liked Stuart, but the last thing she wanted was to make him believe this could turn into more.

Stuart pulled away and Penny looked him in the eyes and took a deep breath.

"Why don't you come in? I think we should have a conversation."

* * *

 **A/N:** Love it? Hate it? Let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Lay It Down**

* * *

Feeling completely uneasy, Stuart followed Penny into her apartment. He had a fair idea of what this conversation was about and he sorely wished she would just reject him as quickly as possible. He knew that a woman like Penny was completely out of his league. If experience had taught him anything, it was that his fragile ego could only handle so much gentle rejection. If anything, being eased into a rejection hurt more than when a woman bluntly declared her disinterest.

Penny closed the door behind him and gestured for him to have a seat. "Would you like something to drink? I have water and wine and some orange juice," she offered politely. Stuart waved her off.

"No, I'm okay. Let's get down to that conversation." His mouth was dry and his stomach twisted in a knot. "On second thought, I think I'll have some water." His hostess made a big show of pouring him a glass of bottled water after getting a glass of white wine for herself.

Penny perched herself on the couch next to him and took a long slow sip from her glass as she wracked her brain for tactful words. Stuart stiffened as if to brace himself when she started to speak.

"I like you, Stuart. You're fun and smart and you really know how to make me laugh." His sipped his water patiently waiting for the rest of his rejection. "I find that I'm attracted to you." Penny stopped not knowing how to say the next part. Stuart resisted the urge to supply the word 'but' so she could just get on with things. "But I'm not really looking to be in a relationship with anyone at this point. I'm gonna try to be more persistent in developing my acting career." Penny may have stopped talking but Stuart got the sense that there was something else that she wasn't sharing. Was she refraining from saying that she didn't feel that they were compatible?

Stuart stared at the liquid in his hands. If he were honest with himself, he would own up the fact that there was something missing in their little make-out session at the ranch. Did he really want to be in a relationship that was missing that special something that made pairing up so appealing?

 _No, I don't._

"That's okay, Penny. It's probably for the best anyway. While I do find you very attractive, I didn't feel sparks when we kissed. If I'm honest, the romantic in me really would like to be in a relationship where sparks fly every time I come in contact with my girlfriend."

"Good for you, Stuart. You really shouldn't settle for less than you deserve." Penny gave him a genuine smile before catching the slightly sad look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're friends and all but I'm a guy. At some point I would like more than my own company when I get intimate in the bedroom." He plastered a comical pained look on his face which got a chuckle out of Penny.

"I stand by what I said. You shouldn't settle until you find someone you feel that spark with." She reached for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. Then something her friend Aylissa said popped in her head. Penny decided she would paraphrase her friend's words of wisdom. "I know that I'm not your 'Miss Right', but, would you mind if I were your 'Miss Right-Now'?" her voice held a note of hope.

Penny's words stunned Stuart into silence. His mind moved frantically to comprehend what the audacious, beautiful, confounding woman meant. Did her words mean what he hoped they did?

"Penny, I don't want to misunderstand what you're asking of me and ruin a perfectly good friendship. I need you to be blunt and just say what you mean."

"Okay," she took a deep breath. "Would you mind if I were your fuck buddy?" His stunned silence reigned over the space between them before he could speak again.

"Um…Wow!"

Of all the things Stuart expected her to say, a fuck buddy request was the weakest blip on his radar. This was a seriously awesome request. His better judgment dictated that he demand a serious conversation to iron out the gory details. Another, more instinctive part of him wanted to pop up and scream 'yes' at the top of his lungs but, thankfully, it was safely restrained within the confines of his jeans.

"I know that asking you this is kinda out of the blue but this is something I would really like to do."

"Why are you asking me? You could have anyone you want. I mean literally, ANYONE you want. Even the Pope wouldn't say no." Penny released his hand and moved back into the sofa cushions.

"Is that a no?"

"No… It's not a no. I'm just really surprised that you're not going after someone... less... like me." What Stuart wanted to ask was why she wasn't chasing after some Adonis but he thought better than to loudly broadcast his self-image issues.

"You shouldn't be surprised. I like you, Stuart. I also trust you because I know that you would respect my boundaries the way I would respect yours," she remarked when she placed her hand on his knee. "You tend to sell yourself short. I think you're better than that."

Stuart continued to stare sightlessly into his nearly untouched glass of water absorbing Penny's request. He took a tentative sip to sooth his dry mouth. "Okay, I'm in," he agreed. "How do you see this working?"

"Well," she started. "I think we should avoid being in date-like situations so things don't get confusing."

"Okay," he said slowly as he turned on his cushion to face her. "That seems like a reasonable rule of thumb. Could you give me an example of what you mean?"

"Alright," she turned to face him as well and folded her legs beneath her body. "Say we're out to see a movie, I think we should avoid holding hands or making out in the theater. That's the kind of thing people who are dating end up doing."

"Makes sense. So, if we're hanging out and all of a sudden I wanna have sex… how would we handle that?"

"You would let me know so we could come back here or find someplace private."

"What if I'm in the mood and you're not?"

"I would still get you off once we got to somewhere private. I would expect the same from you if you're not in the mood." Stuart nodded in agreement but he didn't expect that his not being in the mood would _ever_ be the case.

"Of course," he quickly agreed. There was a long pause while Stuart got up the nerve to ask his last question, albeit shyly. "What would you say if I told you I was in the mood right now?" he chugged the rest of his glass as he anxiously waited for Penny's response.

Penny waited until he finished his water before taking the empty glass from his hands and placing it on the table. "I would say," her voice lowered to soft and sultry as she looked him in the eyes. "I've been in the mood since you kissed me back at the ranch."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'Oh'." She placed her glass of wine on the table next to his empty glass. A slow, sly smile graced her lips as she crawled into Stuart's lap. She bent her head to press her lips softly against his. His hands came up to rest on her hips as he kissed her back.

Penny very much liked being on top. There was something about having a man in a passive position beneath her that kind of gave her a high. It was even better when it was with someone who was okay her calling the shots in the sack. Apparently, Stuart was okay with it too because she could feel his dick stiffening under her thigh.

She ground her hips down against his and suddenly his hand was freeing her hair from its tie. His fingers were sliding through her hair as he deepened their kiss. After a few minutes, Penny pulled back to take a breath and pulled her shirt and bra up over her head in one fluid move. Stuart watched in amazement as her mounds bounced with joy at their freedom. His amazement only grew when he felt her hands placing his over her bared breasts. His palms and fingers slowly explored the soft skin that stretched over her peaks and valleys. Penny's voice came out low and husky when she spoke.

"How do they feel, cowboy?" Stuart let out a shaky breath before he could formulate a reply.

"Incredible," he breathed.

"Good," Penny placed her hand on the back of his head to pull his face down toward them. "Now, see how they taste."

Penny's head tipped back as she enjoyed how every kiss, nibble and lick over her sensitive skin swept her deeper into the pools of her arousal. She was mildly surprised at how good Stuart was at getting her worked up. Soon, though, she was ready for more and pulled away from his mouth. Penny got to her feet and pulled him up from the couch.

She tugged his shirt up over his head and pressed her lips against his chest. The light sprinkling of hair tickled her nose as her tongue danced over his sensitive nipples. Stuart's groan of pleasure seemed to spur her on to make quick work of the rest of their clothes and sheath his latex covered length with her body. She remained still as Stuart continued to kiss her breasts and shoulders.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips drawing Stuart's curiosity.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"This is the second time today that I get to ride you. Only, I'm starting to suspect that it will end in a totally different way—a happy ending." Stuart chuckled.

"I promise this time your ride will last a little longer," he cracked. Penny burst into giggles as she began to ride Stuart on her couch.

HE FOCUSED ON THE FEEL OF HER THIGHS sliding against his chest. Both of her calves rested on his right shoulder. According to his research, she was supposed to feel tighter this way and, while initially he was skeptical of the accuracy of this technique, Sheldon was now—having actually tried it—supremely pleased with the outcome.

Sheldon noted that he could feel the quickening of her body more acutely this way. Her impending release was accelerating his own and he moved harder the way she liked so that they could finish at about the same time. Her moans got a little louder in between pants and her pants matched his heart rate. His hips smacked against her bottom as he plunged into her in a relentless rhythm. Her body clamped sharply on his length and long, lusty keens of satisfaction fell from her mouth until he joined her in post-coital euphoria a minute later.

When he recovered enough, Sheldon carefully pulled out of Lalita and slumped exhaustedly on the leather arm of her couch. He continued to pull in deep, calming breaths in an effort to reclaim his equilibrium. Eventually he got up to make use of her shower and used the time to prepare for the necessary conversation that lay ahead.

IT HAD BEEN NEARLY FOUR WEEKS since his first time with a woman and, much to his dismay, he saw that Penny's original assessment was correct. He _was_ an incomplete person.

Up until Penny pointed it out, he was not aware of the importance of being able to read human behaviors and the deep implications of how much of language and communication is built on the non-verbal. He was now beginning to grasp how much information he'd been missing out on by his refusal to study human interactions. And if there was anything that Sheldon abhorred more than conceding that someone of a lesser intellect was correct, it was missing the opportunity of gaining pertinent information. Secretly, Sheldon found that he was grateful for Penny's willingness to help decode some of Lalita's behaviors which, by extension, helped him decode behaviors in his professional interactions. He found it particularly interesting that his colleagues made the same face of discomfort when he approached them as Penny did when she made in depth explanations and all matters concerning coitus—it was something like… discomfort. Also, had it not been for Penny's observations, he wouldn't have been able to see that Lalita was likely harboring an esteem for him that went slightly beyond friendship.

During that first week of his carnal explorations, he noted that Lalita had the habit of clinging to him during their post-coital repose. The action left him feeling quite cloistered. The following week, she clung less and merely made as much physical contact with him despite her protestations of feeling 'too sensitive' to touch. Sheldon shared this pattern with Penny by the end of the second week and she shed light to the meaning of these actions.

Penny assured him that sometimes that sort of esteem could creep up on people and they don't always notice they 'caught feelings' of a romantic nature until it's too late. It was then that Sheldon saw the value of being 'in tune' with his reactions to external stimuli as well as being at least peripherally aware of the minute external signs of humans who are not quite as in tune with themselves. Penny mentioned that often an open and honest discussion of what is expected from both parties can curb the development of unwanted feelings. It was with this new found wisdom that planned to carefully draw up boundaries to help keep Lalita's emotions in check. The conversation was slightly awkward at first but soon Lalita agreed to his terms particularly his request to keep post-coital touching to a minimum.

Sheldon shifted in his seat still not entirely comfortable about riding the bus without his bus pants. He would have called Penny for a ride if he didn't think it important to leave Lalita's apartment with the quiet statement of autonomy. Penny had been trying to teach him the importance of maintaining awareness of the messages broadcast through body language. For a person who only had a semester of community college, Penny, it seemed to Sheldon, had an innate understanding of the social sciences.

The most surprising factor of this experiment was his growing respect for his neighbor. He at times found himself wondering at the types of experiences she would have gone through to gain this natural understanding of human behaviors. Sheldon also found himself observing Penny's body language more.

The more he watched the better he was able to read her. On the upside, Sheldon was better able to guess when she was being sarcastic thanks to that one unflattering comment made by Wolowitz one evening. The shift in her demeanor was subtle, but he could tell that she was upset.

The downside of the experiment was that he was quite a bit more aware of the fact that his friend and neighbor was a woman, and a very attractive one at that. Make no mistake, Penny's aesthetically pleasing features were as plain to him as the fact that he was one of the most intelligent beings on the planet but as his appreciation for the human body increased over the last weeks, so had his visceral awareness of Penny's femaleness. It was a feeling that he wasn't altogether comfortable with and it annoyed him to no end that he couldn't figure out why.

The squealing of brakes pulled Sheldon out of his thoughts as the bus jerked to a stop.

 _That's odd. There shouldn't be any traffic at this time of day_ , he mused. He was only a mile from his apartment and he could hear alarmed shouts in the distance.

 _Just my luck. Sarah Connor Chronicles is on tonight and I'm stuck in traffic_. As soon as the thought popped in his head, the bus started moving again. Sheldon's mood perked considerably.

That is, until the bus got closer to his stop.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hang on to your butts. Shit is gonna get real in about a minute. Let me know if you love it or hate it... Inquiring minds do want to know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Et Ardens Lacrimas**

* * *

It was pandemonium. The bus rolled to a stop and Sheldon got out as eyes roved above the crowd trying to find a path through the chaos. The onlookers watched in fear and awe as fire trucks parked awkwardly in the street to gain access to hydrants. The police frantically set up barricades to keep the crowd safe as they all watched the first responders tend to the wounded. There were orders shouted for people to stay back intermingled with loud heartfelt appeals to any deity imaginable.

Sheldon's progress through the throng of civilians was frustratingly slow as moved closer to what he suspected was his worst fear come true. Fire raged in his apartment building. He took note of the fact that it was on the fourth floor and felt dread creep through him. He counted all of the windows that mattered. His living room window was intact as well as the small bathroom window and that of his bedroom. The dread that filled him slowly subsided as he found the two windows in Leonard's bedroom were also intact. His apartment and all of his belongings were all relatively safe which meant the only other apartment on that floor—the one being ravaged by the worst of the flames—was Penny's.

At that point he saw a familiar blond making her way down the fire escape. She was nearly to the second floor when she slipped on a step and her body pitched forward until her head smacked against the railing. Sheldon barely registered the collective gasp from the crowd as he watched in horror the way her body fell limply down the metal steps. The fire fighters that saw scrambled to get her down to safety. When they eventually got her down, her limp form was carried to a gurney and the first responders moved her long yellow hair to reveal a nasty gash on her forehead. Her face was covered in blood and soot. She didn't seem to be moving or responding in any way. Fear gripped his stomach in its cold fist at the sight, which made Sheldon fight harder against the crowd to get to his friend.

Just as he moved to get past the barricades, an officer caught him by the arm with a firm grip.

"Sir, I'm gonna need you to stay back," he said in an authoritative tone.

"But that's my friend over there," protested Sheldon. The officer looked over his shoulder to the woman who was being worked on near one of the ambulances. He looked back to Sheldon and saw the sheer panic on his face. The officer's face softened marginally and Sheldon chose that moment to continue. "I just want to make sure she's okay. Please, let me go to her."

"I can't let you through. It's not safe. I'll go over and check on her for you. But you have to stay here," said the officer while giving him a warning look.

"Alright. I'll stay here," he agreed reluctantly. Sheldon watched as the officer made his way across the street carefully picking his way through the web of hoses that were crisscrossed over the pavement. He spoke for a few moments with one of the EMT's and pointed in his direction. The two EMT's nodded before the officer made his way back to Sheldon just as carefully as before.

"Well, how is she?" The officer had a grim look on his face and took a moment to carefully answer.

"Your friend isn't doing so good. She'll be taken to Pasadena General. You might want to start making your way there and maybe see about contacting her family."

"Th-thank you, officer."

"No problem, kid. Good luck to you." Sheldon pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly sent Raj a text informing him of this new development and how that evening's activities were cancelled. When he looked up, he saw that the gurney had already been loaded on to the ambulance. The female EMT, shook her head in pity as she gently placed her patient's hand on her stomach, then pulled the white sheet over her face.

Sheldon forgot how to breathe.

* * *

 **A/N:** Damn!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Don't You Remember?**

* * *

Sheldon barely registered the tears that left scalding hot tracks down his cheeks. He barely registered the weight of the blanket thrown across his shoulders or the heat of the untouched cup of tea against his fingers. He refused to acknowledge the scent of charred plastic and wood smoke that permeated the air of his apartment. Not to mention that he completely ignored the hushed whispers of Raj and Howard as they restlessly hovered in his orbit. Even the usual profound comfort of sitting in his beloved spot could not touch him.

He'd lost her. The one true friend he'd ever had.

Penny was lost to him and there was so much that he wanted to say that he now couldn't. So many unanswered questions. He would have given anything to be able to turn back time and let her know how much he cared for her and how he valued her. An unbearable weight pressed down on his chest as he realized that he would never again argue with her and give her strikes for her deliberate infractions. He would never hear her grating laugh or see her sweet smile.

Penny was gone.

The Penny-shaped void she left behind was about the size of the Grand Canyon and for the first time in his life, Sheldon finally understood what MeeMaw was talking about the afternoon of PopPop's wake.

 _A five year old Sheldon was curled up on the window seat in his grandfather's study. He looked out the window as Missy and George Jr terrorized the chickens on his grandparents' farm. His small nose was red and his face was pink and moist with tears. His grandmother walked and spied her youngest grandson—the brilliant one who was at times far too mature for his age—wrapped in his grandfather's favorite sweater. The ratty green cardigan that he always wore around the house—the one that she hated and tried to get rid of on numerous occasions._

 _"_ _Eleazar loved that sweater. Said it was lucky," she said as she sat near Sheldon. Sheldon hugged his knobby knees closer to his chest and the too-long sleeves flopped over his new Buster Brown saddle shoes. She brushed a strand of hair from her face as her heart broke for the lost little boy in front of her._

 _"_ _Have you eaten anything today, Moonpie? Your momma said you haven't been eating much of anything in the last few days. A little something in your tummy will make you feel better."_

 _"_ _I'm not hungry, MeeMaw." Sheldon saw the slightly worried look on his grandmother's face and quickly added. "I promise I'll eat something when I go down stairs." The little boy hesitated for a moment before broaching what was bothering him._

 _"_ _MeeMaw?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Moonpie?"_

 _"_ _Why don't you look sad like everyone else?"_

 _"_ _What do you mean I don't look sad like everyone else?"_

 _"_ _You look sad but not as sad as mom and Aunt Martha."_

 _"_ _Well, Moonpie, I'm not as sad Mary or Martha because I've had more time with PopPop than they did." Sheldon looked up at MeeMaw like he didn't believe her. "It's true. I met Eleazar the day his family moved in next door to my family. I was about your age and he was only a couple years older than me, seven or eight years old, I think." This got Sheldon's attention because, although his grandmother told him a lot of stories, he'd never heard of how his grandparents met._

 _"_ _Did you become best friends?"_

 _"_ _Not at first," MeeMaw said after a chuckle. "In fact, we never got along. We were always bickering about something the first few years I knew him. We didn't actually start to get along until after the day Bobby Richards from across the street killed my hamster." Sheldon's eyes grew wide._

 _"_ _Really? What happened?"_

 _"_ _Momma got me a hamster for no reason at all one summer and I showed some of my friends. Bobby Richards, was a horrible little boy that got angry when I refused to let my hamster out. He slapped the box out of my hands and stomped on it when it fell on the ground, killing my hamster. Well, your granddaddy, who was thirteen at the time—the same as Bobby, was watching from his window and saw the moment Bobby pushed me on my father's lawn. He came out of his house in a rage and beat Bobby to a pulp right there on the pavement. Bobby ran home to his mother and your PopPop hugged me to stop my crying. When I finally calmed down he bought me an orange creamsicle with some of his mowing money and helped bury my hamster in the yard. We became friends after that."_

 _By the time I got to high school at fourteen, I thought your PopPop was a fine lookin' fella. Turned out that the school thought it would be a good idea for me to skip a couple of years the beginning of my sophomore year because I was a little smarter that the kids in my age group. I think they call it 'gifted' now. Anyway, Eleazar and I ended up in some of the same classes with him being a senior and by the time graduation came around, he was fixin' to ask my father if he could marry me. Daddy said that he didn't have a problem with it but that we should wait a couple of years before we got married and that in the meantime, he should find some work and save money because wives can be expensive," Eleanor smiled at the genius of her father's proviso._

 _"_ _Me and PopPop did just that. Two years later we were married the day I turned seventeen. But like most couples who marry too young, we started fighting a lot just a few months in. It was pretty bad. We were both questioning if we'd made the right decision and started to fall out of love. Then one day we had a really bad fight. We both said a lot of awful things to each other and your granddad stormed out of our little apartment in a temper. About a minute after the door slammed shut, I heard someone lean on the horn, the screeching of tires and a woman screaming… and then silence. I rushed to the widow to see what the commotion was about… I forgot how to breathe."_

 _Your granddad was not moving. I thought he was dead and in that moment I wanted to nothing more than to join him because I realized that I loved him more than life itself. I asked God to either bring him back or let me go with him. I guess God wasn't ready to deal with the likes of me because a minute later your granddad came to," she smiled sadly at the memory._

 _"_ _Then what happened, MeeMaw?" Eleanor looked at her grandson whose red-rimmed eyes were wide with interest._

 _"_ _Then he moved his head around and it was like I could breathe again. PopPop looked up at me with those big blue eyes of his and said 'I'm sorry, Ellie'. Then we took him to the hospital because he broke an arm and a leg," Ellie paused before getting around to making the point of her story. "The thing is, Sheldon, it took nursing my husband back to health for us to learn a very valuable life lesson: Life can be shortened at any moment. The moment me and PopPop made the decision to forgive the parts of being human that hurt the most was the very moment we experienced love at its fullest. We learned to forgive and love each other, our friends and our family. I'm not as sad as your Aunt Martha and your momma because I know that because PopPop loved freely, he was able to live a full and happy life that I was able to share with him for thirty-seven years after that day."_

 _"_ _What happens when you don't show forgiveness?"_

 _"_ _Moonpie, you need to remember that you and everyone else on this Earth is human and bound to make mistakes. When you allow yourself to be human and forgive others because they're human too, you won't need to spend your days wondering what would have happened if you stuck it out and gave people a second chance. You understand?" Sheldon stared at his MeeMaw with large blue eyes glossed with tears and shook his head in the negative._

 _"_ _You will someday, sugar." Sheldon hated it when adults used that phrase when he wanted to understand immediately. The lesson fell into the recesses of his memory banks in favor for a new line of questioning. He looked down at the green cardigan that hung open around his short legs._

 _"_ _Why did he think this sweater was lucky?"_

 _"_ _He was wearing it the day he got hit by the car."_

Sheldon hadn't thought about his PopPop or that day for years. It pained him that it took twenty some-odd years and the loss of a good friend for him to _finally_ understand what MeeMaw was trying to teach him then. He wished with every fiber of his being that he could have a second chance and really be a better friend to Penny.

 _Maybe I should be kinder to the friends I have left._

He made a vow with the Universe then that if he couldn't have a second chance at showing Penny how much she meant to him, he would certainly try to be kinder to his friends and the rest of the human race. Though, admittedly, he would need to make a new friend who with the emotional intelligence to guide him through such an endeavor.

"Um, Sheldon?" Howard's voice broke through his thoughts. "I think it's time we contacted Penny's parents and break the news." Sheldon looked up from his cooling mug of tea into the faces grief-stricken, tear-stained friends. He had the random thought that they were facing this tragedy with a dignity that he did not believe they possessed.

"I will speak with her parents if one of you calls Leonard to let him know. I do not wish to deal with his histrionic, melodramatic reaction when he finds out."

"I'll break it to him after you talk to Penny's folks," volunteered Raj. Sheldon breathed deeply as he took his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his contact list even though he had her family's number committed to memory. His thumb hovered reluctantly over the send button. It was as if it knew that hitting the send button would make this loss very real and it took nearly all of his concentration to get his thumb down to make the call.

Sheldon's thumb was only a few hair's breadths away from making contact when a high-pitched, Penny-sounding shriek pierced the somber silence of the building.

It would be months before Sheldon would reflect on this moment and recall the sheer relief of breathing once again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Phew! Dodged a bullet there... Stay with me people. I promise **Penny's not dead**. This will DEFINITELY be a Shenny lovefest, I'm just getting warmed up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Nothing Gets Better**

* * *

Penny stepped off of the bus just starting to feel the relief of finally making it home. All she wanted to do was take a long, hot soak and sleep for a month after the cruddy week she had. Her car was still in the shop because, as it turns out, the check engine light would click when it flickered and the noise was starting to irritate her. The mechanic let her know that the light needed a new socket for the bulb and there was actually a few issues with her engine. The estimate for fixing it required that she work long hours for a couple weeks to pay it off. She also got rejected from every role that she auditioned for that week. Penny suspected it had to do with her tired state from working long hours at the Cheesecake Factory and not having enough time to change out of her uniform probably didn't entice luck to shift in her favor. Still, the week hadn't been a total loss.

Stuart invited her to a Steampunk convention in San Diego and that was pretty fun. She enjoyed wearing a costume and kind of saw what the thrill was about when the guys practically waxed poetical about dressing up for ComicCon. Plus, she did get to have a pretty steamy romp in the hotel room with Stuart. Penny was glad that he suggested the outing because it was definitely the only bright spot in her lousy week.

As she rounded the corner, the scent of bad barbeque both made her hungry and gag. She realized that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch nearly ten hours ago so she ducked in through the side entrance of the gas station convenience store around the corner of her building. Penny grabbed a sandwich and stood in line to pay

"Penny! Are you okay?" A warm maternal voice made her twist in her spot to see Mrs. Vartabedian juggling a few bags of ice and a cane. Penny grabbed a couple from her before responding.

"Here, let me carry those. Yeah, I'm good. Just a little tired. It's been a long day." Mrs. Vartabedian hobbled up to stand next to Penny.

"It _has_ been a long day. I'm just getting back from the hospital myself. Injured my ankle in all the commotion this afternoon. Still, it's nice to know that you made it out of the fire unharmed. One of our neighbors, sadly, wasn't so lucky." It always amused Penny that her downstairs neighbor seemed to speak without the need to take a breath. When her brain caught up with the older woman's wall of words, Penny froze.

"What fire?"

THE LAST STEP OF THE FOURTH FLOOR LANDING squished wetly under the weight of her feet. The cold water sloshed over the thin soles of her sandals pulling her from the stupor induced by the sight before her. Her once ordinary blue door hung awkwardly on its hinges, not quite closing right. The door frame and the edges around the door were stained black and that awful scent of bad barbeque she detected earlier was now made stronger by the lingering odor of burnt plastic and ozone.

"What. The. FUCK?!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

At that moment, on the other side of the grimy blue door of apartment 4A, Sheldon and his friends tripped over themselves to investigate the source of the miraculous profanity. Penny was so wrapped up in her fury that she didn't notice when the door swung open or when the most brilliant nerds she'd ever met... and Howard stood at the door to gaze upon her as if she were an apparition. It was only when she felt two sets of arms wrapped around her that her fury began to fade away. She hugged Howard and Raj back letting them know that she was also glad that they were okay. She looked up at Sheldon who stood awkwardly at the thresh hold of his apartment with tears brimming his eyes. Penny disentangled herself from Raj and Howard's embrace to face Sheldon.

"You okay, Moonpie?" she asked softly. In two strides Sheldon was in the hall and wrapped her in a relived hug. He held her close relishing the warmth and solid presence of a very a live Penny in his arms. It was a comfort that he'd never known with any other human. It was the tangible proof that he was not dreaming. As the overwhelming relief began to fade and all-encompassing gratitude swelled in its place, he recalled his promise to the Universe and fully intended to keep to his vows.

"Penny, I saw you die," his voice came out tiny and unsure. Penny pulled away enough to see tears fall freely from his eyes. He hadn't cried this openly since Zachary Quinto ruined Mr. Spock in the Star Trek feature that hit theaters the previous summer.

"That wasn't me, sweetie." Her arms slipped around his waist and gave him a small reassuring squeeze.

"I wonder who it was?" Howard wondered aloud.

"It was Alicia from 5B," piped in Penny. Raj whispered furiously in Howard's ear.

"He wants to know how you would know that if you just got here."

"I ran into Mrs. Vartabedian at the convenience store a few minutes ago. She told me Alicia was coming down the fire escape and broke her neck when she slipped and fell." A momentary hush fell over them before Penny continued. "I admit that I never liked her but she didn't deserve to go like that."

"Better her than you, Penny." Sheldon spoke the words softly. She would have chastised him for saying something so callus but she saw the fierce sincerity shining through his eyes. His blue eyes still held anguish but also something else, like… determination. She didn't know how long she stood there looking into his eyes but she became aware of the fact that she still stood in the circle of his arms, pulled close to his chest. She took a deep breath and reluctantly moved away from the soothing warmth of her Whack-A-Doodle.

"I guess I should probably go in and see what the damage is."

Penny stared at the door before she hefted it open and gasped at the sight of her singed apartment.

There were smoke stains and water puddles everywhere. Her TV screen was cracked. Her kitchen was black while her once cute green couch was a soggy brown. She picked her way carefully over puddles and charred figurines as she made her way to the bedroom. The boards under her feet were already showing signs of warping. The walls showed some smoke damage but amazingly her closet was spared and her dresser still looked like it was intact. Penny sighed in relief.

 _This could have been much worse_ , she thought.

Just then Howard walked in to her bedroom with Sheldon and Raj in tow.

"Um… Penny? I think your laptop might have drowned in the puddle by fridge."

"What?... Nooo!"

"Don't worry, Penny. If the extended warranty doesn't cover this, your renter's insurance should," Sheldon supplied.

"I, uh, don't have one." Sheldon looked at her like he couldn't comprehend what she just said.

"What do you mean you don't have one? An extended warranty or renter's insurance?"

"Yes."

"Penny!"

"I needed to change my policy to save money when I renewed my lease last month and, well, the landlord said that I can give it to him later and let me sign the lease," she explained lamely.

"How did you manage that?" squawked Sheldon.

"Tube top and a mini skirt," she admitted sheepishly.

"Nice," smarmed Howard. Raj nodded in agreement.

"I think I can worry about all of that later. Right now I need to worry about where to sleep."

"You can stay with me. Mom won't mind," offered Howard with a little too much hope.

"Thanks Howard but I think it would be better if I crashed on Raj's couch tonight. Is that okay with you Raj?" Raj nodded enthusiastically at her before sending a smug grin in Howard's direction.

"Thank you, Raj. I just need a shower and sleep, I can figure out where I'm gonna live tomorrow." The thought of Penny moving away did not sit well with Sheldon. He needed to intervene before things got out of hand. Penny moving would throw off his carefully constructed environment significantly. Or at least that's what he told himself.

"That is preposterous on the face of it when there is a perfectly serviceable bed available. As long as we review the rules and regulations and you abide by them there shouldn't be any issues with temporary cohabitation provided, of course, you sign a temporary agreement," he stated matter-of-factly. Penny rolled her eyes.

"Less words, Sheldon." She was too tired and annoyed to try to decipher what he just said. Sheldon's soft answer surprised her.

"Stay with me."

* * *

 **A/N:** Next update should be Sunday/Monday depending on your geographical location. Until then, if you have questions, comments, concerns and/or suggestions don't be shy and share with the class.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Take the Risk**

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For once, Stuart had a really great week. He stood behind the counter of his store lost in the good times he had. For starters, an acquaintance that owed him a favor gave him an all access pass to a Steampunk convention in San Diego after Stuart's dermatologist uncle got Nathan Fillion to attend the release of a new Firefly comic book. His acquaintance even sprung for a hotel room for a day so that they could change in and out of their gear in a show of gratitude.

He asked Penny to accompany him and she even designed and sewed their costumes for the event. In hindsight that might have been a stroke of genius on his part. She came out of the bathroom wearing a cream peasant blouse that fell to mid-thigh, cinched into place with a lavender corset embroidered with flowers that pushed up her breasts into heaving mounds. His mind went blank and he forgot himself for a whole awkward minute as he stared at her silhouette standing in the bathroom doorway. Her blouse seemed to float around her when she moved and the material was just translucent enough for him to see the very slight rosy pink of her nipples. It was still somewhat appropriate to be seen in public in, but you could still make out nipple if you focused hard enough.

"Did you need to use the bathroom before I get into finishing my hair and makeup?

Stuart simply shook his head no and got up from his seat on the foot of the bed to move toward her. "This is a nice costume."

"I'm supposed to have shorts and combat boots. I was kinda going for a Lara Croft crossed with a western bar wench look."

"I like it. You look good. _Really_ good." Stuart dragged his fingertips up her bare thigh and stopped at the hem of the shirt. "Do you really need to wear the shorts?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm not gonna walk around commando."

"Are you commando now?" Penny shrugged nonchalantly with only a glint in her eye betraying her.

"You tell me," she challenged. His hand slid further up her thigh as he gathered the pale material and exposed the nakedness underneath. The sight made his breath shudder as arousal shot through him.

He tugged at her hand and led her to corner of the mattress that faced the full length mirror on the bathroom door. He tugged down the front of her blouse until her delicious nipples were exposed.

"I want you to play with your nipples," he said. Penny slipped her fingers in her mouth to moisten them before applying them to her tips. Stuart slid the palms of his hands up and down the sides of her legs. When he was sure that she was making herself feel good he gently urged her to widen her stance, licked his own fingers before rubbing the petal softness of her nether lips. He checked her reflection in the mirror and saw she was enjoying how he teased her body. His fingers slipped inside of her to test he readiness. She was more than ready.

"Don't move," he said as he went to get a condom. He took off his pants and sat on the corner of the bed. Penny got on top still facing the mirror. She carefully placed her hands on his knees for balance. With her legs spread this wide, she was able to see with detail how he filled her with each of her down strokes. If she never before understood the need for reverse cowgirl in porn, she could certainly now see the appeal when in front of a mirror. When she established a steady rhythm, she went back to plucking her own nipples.

Stuart was lost in a world where only meeting each one of her thrusts was what was important.

"Stuart, I'm close," she trailed off.

"Play with your clit," he rasped as he approached the point of no return. He pumped himself faster in and out of her body trying to hold off for as long as he could. Her body tightening around him was making that very difficult. He licked his thumb and rubbed the tight ring between her cheeks when she suddenly stopped moving above him, her orgasm rushing through her like a runaway train… and then he followed. Her body slumped back against his, pinning him to the mattress. Laughter bubbled out of her…

And then he followed.

Eventually they cleaned up and made their way to the convention. The convention was pretty interesting. He loved how fans got really creative with their costumes. A booth selling parasol's caught Penny's eye and she moved away from him to explore on her own for a while. Stuart wandered around the convention center on his own for a while until he got to an unmanned booth with the most incredible fan art he'd ever seen including some amazing originals. He was so involved with inspecting the one oil painting that caught his eye that he never noticed the woman who took up the space behind the booth.

"Hi, can I help you with something?"

"No, I'm just—" He was going to say he was just looking but the sentence died in his mouth when he recognized the small woman with the reddish-brown hair and startling aqua marine eyes. She was the one that came into his shop a few times a week searching for one comic book or another—the one who made his body spasm when she leveled him with one of her mischievous smiles.

"Alice?" he asked incredulously. She cocked her head to the side, the movement making her dark auburn waves shimmer under the bright lights. Recognition lit her eyes and she gave him a conspiratorial smile that tied his stomach in knots and made his mouth go dry.

"Hi Stuart," she greeted warmly. At that moment Penny walked by and sent a quick smile his way as she moved between booths. "Is that your girlfriend?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I only ask because that was a more-than-friends smile. I can always tell when two people are sleeping together. It's kinda my superpower." Stuart saw that her playful little smile wasn't altogether genuine. A mild panic shot through him and he figured that if he wanted this woman, he would be up front about Penny. No matter how nervous it made him.

"Yeah, we kinda have an arrangement but we're not dating. Just friends."

"Why just friends?" The question surprised Stuart. He never expected Alice to be borderline nosy and ask about his private life. From the few conversations they had before they both managed to not delve into personal details. Still, Stuart couldn't help but want to tell her the truth.

"I'm kind of a romantic. I don't feel sparks or that swoopy thing your stomach should when I'm with Penny. I'm holding off on being in a relationship until I find a woman who makes me feel that way." Alice held his gaze searching for something in his eyes.

"Wow! You're being honest," she said a little flabbergasted. "Most guys don't do that." She picked up on Stuart's startled look before continuing. "I have more than one superpower," she purred before giving him another impish smile that made his knees feel mushy and other parts of his anatomy perk up with interest. Alice looked like she was debating with herself.

"Would you like to get coffee sometime?," she asked

STUART RETURNED TO THE PRESENT with warm, flushed cheeks. He took a few cleansing breaths to help deflate his libido and reorient him with the familiar surroundings of his store. After a few minutes a familiar pretty face with long, dark auburn hair walked in the store. The sweet alto of her voice smoothed a greeting over his ears.

"Hi Stuart," he smiled at her.

"Hey Alice," she smiled back and he felt his stomach flip at the sight. "What can I get for you today?" he asked in his best 'helpful store owner' voice.

"Actually, I'm here to see if you would do me a favor." Alice arched an angular brow expectantly.

"Depends on the favor," her replied, very glad that his voice came out even. Alice stood up on her toes and put a hand behind his neck to keep her balance. Before Stuart could ask what was going on, Alice pulled him down and kissed him over the glass counter. His stomach dropped and shivers jolted up his spine. She pulled away and he saw that her light blue eyes seemed darker and a delicate blush warmed the creamy skin over her feline features.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" he was dazed from their first kiss.

"Are we gonna get that coffee?" The mischievous smile was back in place, again, doing glorious, contortionist things to his stomach.

"Yeah," he replied while making a mental note to end his arrangement with Penny.

AFTER RAJ AND WOLOWITZ LEFT, Sheldon's apartment suddenly seemed too small. A part of Penny shouted that she was going to regret taking Sheldon up on his risky offer while another shell-shocked part was immensely grateful she had a handful of real friends she could count on.

She listened woodenly as he went through all of the emergency safety procedures of his apartment and moved on automatic when he showed her where to sign on the Temporary Roommate Agreement. She felt as if she was watching herself from afar sit on the stool at the island observing how Sheldon flitted smoothly in his kitchen as he prepared her a mug of tea and heated a couple of slices of pizza that were left over from the previous night. She didn't have much of an appetite but forced herself to chew and finish her tea as she listened to Sheldon finish his shower.

As soon as she stepped under the warm spray, her body instantly relax and she felt like most of weight she carried on her shoulders dripped down her back and swirled down the drain. Sheldon had thoughtfully provided a fresh fluffy towel on the sink an extra tooth brush and a comb. She untangled her hair making a mental list of things that she needed to get done. Penny was grateful Sheldon didn't think twice about letting her live with him rent free until she got herself together. He said that Leonard paid up his half of the rent every month so there was no need for her to do anything but clean up after herself. It didn't occur to penny that she didn't have any clothes to sleep in until she was half way to the living room.

Sheldon was in his spot watching TV when Penny approached.

"Feel better?" he asked. She simply nodded not used to seeing this attentive side of him. "Good. I don't keep emergency sleepwear for women but now I see that I need to rethink the emergency supplies I keep on hand. I was able to find some clothes that may fit you." Sheldon picked up the small pile of clothes that sat on the cushion next to him and moved toward Penny.

Penny looked at the wife beater and sweats with a faded maroon Texas A&M logo on one leg. Her nose felt suddenly clogged and her eyes were itchy with tears that wanted to slip out of her carefully wrought control. The tears won and ran a victory sprint down her cheek and leapt from her chin to the top of her collar bone. Sheldon caught the rebellious tear before it decided to run into the towel that barely covered his friend. He moved his hand to cup her cheek and swiped the tear track away. Penny hated being that vulnerable and couldn't make herself look him in the eyes.

"Don't worry. Things will get better, Penny." It was the sound of compassion mixed with his words that made her meet his gaze. Her sight was filled with stormy blue that made her breath hitch at the intensity of the swirling emotions she saw there. It was the first time she noticed that he was not the robot he pretended to be. Behind the safety of his stainless steel façade existed a human that was unknown to her.

His fingers slid from her cheek before they dropped to his side and Penny saw the moment the efficient, highly organized android snapped back into place. "Goodnight, Penny," he said as he walked to his room.

"Goodnight, Sheldon," she said. She made her way back to Leonard's room and saw that Sheldon turned down the sheets on the bed. It made her smile. She put on her clothes and slipped into the comfort of sleep, still haunted by the vision of stormy blue eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** This concludes Part One of this story. The next posting will be in three weeks where we will begin  Part Two: Summer Lovin'. With Sheldon and Penny now living in closer quarters, things are bound to heat up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part Two- Summer Lovin'**

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 **Chapter Eight: After the Fire**

* * *

The next morning was a little better even if she could still smell the aftermath of the shambles of her life. She walked out of Leonard's bedroom—her bedroom—bleary eyed and in need of caffeine. Her nose led her to shuffle through the hall and into the kitchen to get to the source of fresh coffee. A warm mug of liquid focus was shoved into her hands and it was exactly the way she liked it. It was only when she got a few sips down that she was able to form her first coherent thought of the day.

"Good morning, Sheldon."

"Good afternoon, Penny."

"Afternoon? How long did I sleep for?"

"If your snoring was any indication, I would say that you were asleep just after midnight and slept the night through for twelve and a half hours."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I thought you could use the rest after your ordeal last night and I needed the peace and quiet while I got our temporary living situation organized." Worry shot through Penny.

"What do you mean?"

"I took the liberty of calling our landlord who informed me that there is an appointment set with the Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office so we can find out how the fire started. The fire marshal should be here at three to inspect your apartment. I also called the Cheesecake Factory and let them know your situation and convinced them to allow you a short leave of absence while you get yourself sorted. I also contacted President Seibert to let him know that I would be taking some time off. He alerted me to the fact that he was in need of a new part time assistant. I can put in a good word if you are interested."

"Wow, you've been busy." Penny turned to pour herself some cereal. "I think I'll go into my apartment and find whatever clothes aren't too badly damaged."

"I have thought of that." Sheldon moved to the back of the couch and produced two laundry baskets full of Penny's clothes. "I took also took the liberty of laundering the articles that seemed the most salvageable. It should keep the basics covered until you are able to procure more clothing." Penny slowly walked toward Sheldon hardly believing how generous he was being but still very deeply touched at his kind gestures.

"Thank you, Sheldon," she said, humbled.

She reached out to take the basket in his hands and tried not to notice the slight tingle when his fingers brushed hers.

* * *

THERE WAS A CRACK IN LEONARD'S CEILING that held her fascination during her bouts of sleeplessness. Penny would lay there and take in the shape of each sharp edge as it etched its path in the plaster above the bed all to avoid thinking of how things have changed just a couple of weeks.

By an odd twist of fate, the fire marshal confirmed the fire started because of some faulty wiring in the kitchen. Sheldon, in his infinite wisdom decided that he would use this information to get the landlord to bend to his every whim. Penny wasn't in the room when it happened but it seemed that she was going to get all new stuff and live rent free for the first two months after the construction to her apartment was finished.

As grateful as she was for the way Sheldon maneuvered events to make her as comfortable as possible, living in close quarters with the physicist presented a few challenges.

There was the age old battle of the sexes over who will put the toilet seat down. Those arguments seemed to tip in her favor until Sheldon pointed out that it was just as easy for her to take the a few milliseconds to check the seat was down to avoid any unnecessary 'dunkage' as it was for him to put the seat back down in the same amount of time. There was also the unfortunate incident of the random spot check Sheldon performed in his role as apartment leader. Suffice it to say that there was a long drawn out debate on the merits of using the hamper over dropping used cloths on the floor that Penny quickly agreed to use when she accidentally tripped over her shorts when she lunged at Sheldon so that she could strangle him. The heated argument over the proper procedure of washing the dishes was quickly averted when Penny figured out that Sheldon could be conned into always washing the dishes by praising his 'superior' intellect.

Through it all, Sheldon—Penny noticed—was a bit protective over her and took pains to keep a close eye on her. He always made sure her basic needs were covered with seemingly innocuous gestures like making sure she had her favorite tea on hand or leaving her dinner in the microwave ready to heat by the time she got home from a late shift.

Penny was grateful that Sheldon asked her to stay with him while she got her living situations sorted out the night of the fire.

That first night she drifted to a fitful sleep only to experience a night full of disturbing dreams. She couldn't recall most of them except for the one.

She sat on a blanket in a park and she looked over her shoulder to see a dark lean figure moving toward her. The impressions from her dream told her that he was a good looking man. They spoke about a lot of things that she couldn't remember no matter how hard she focused. She kept trying to look into his eyes but there was always an obstruction—the sun in her eyes or the wind whipping her hair in her eyes—still she could not see them. But there was definitely something about him that was very alluring. He leaned in slowly to kiss her and when his lips were about to make their final descent, he vanished leaving her to blink away the sleep wildly in the dim glow of the street lamp outside. She thought of the super romantic dream of making out in a park with handsome stranger. How she knew he was handsome with half closed eyes was beyond her.

Though it was true Sheldon wasn't the easiest person to live with, she found that the most uncomfortable part of being Sheldon's roommate is having to put up with his grumpy ass after Lalita left for India. She slept over two nights before she left, and she would be ashamed to admit to any one that in her horny state, she masturbated to the sounds of Sheldon having sex.

She had just awakened from another dream with her mystery man. She lay there for a while staring at the crack in the ceiling yet again patiently waiting for sleep to claim her. Her eyes were slowly drifting closes until the silence was broken by a groan so low, Penny wasn't even sure she heard it. She tilted her head and just when she thought her imagination was teasing her, she heard another groan. It was just a little louder than before followed by a feminine chuckle.

 _Sheldon has a girl in his bed._

Penny didn't know if she should be embarrassed or mildly annoyed. After all, she was trying to fall asleep.

Another feminine laugh punctuated a muted masculine groan.

 _Curious. I'm definitely curious._

The headboard bumped on the other side of the wall and a long stretch of silence followed. Penny stopped pretending that the shenanigans occurring in Sheldon's room didn't interest her.

She tipped her face toward the wall straining to hear anything she could. All was quiet for long minutes until she heard a long feminine moan break the silence. She wondered what his hands were doing. She didn't realize her eyes drifted shut as her hand caressed the skin of her stomach. Her mind's eye pulled up the ephemeral vision of the shadowy stranger's hands ghosting along her bared skin. Goosebumps broke out on her skin and his groan filled her ears. The bedsprings creaked clearly enough through the wall and she imagined the shadowy fingers reach between her legs making her breath catch. His lips were pressed against her throat and he had another hand plucking at a sensitive tip. She was very close but she needed to look into his eyes. Her body promptly broke apart when his shadowed lids opened to reveal stormy blue eyes.

Her last thought before finally drifting off to sleep was that this would definitely be an interesting summer.


End file.
